The early days of the Muslims was wrought with provocation. They recited the first verses of the Qur’an together, meeting in secret, praying in secret at first. Then, out of the darkness and into the light, they exclaimed their message all over Mecca, where they were met with the greatest opponents of Islam, the Quraysh and the angry Meccan mob who crowded and attacked them.
There were men from the Prophet’s (pbuh) own family…who mocked the early believers, stoned them, slayed them….once outside the Kaba during an assault from the Meccans, the early sahaba (companions of the Prophet pbuh) were saved by Hamza (R.A), the propet’s (pbuh) uncle. A brave warrior of the desert that no one dared to challenge. Hamza, the lion hunter.
Much pain followed the early believers of Islam, Samayyah (R.A.) a lady, was the first martyr of Islam…after persecution, torture, three years starving in the mountains and worsening conditions in Mecca the early sahaba who survived, made their hijra or “flight” to Medina….walking 200 miles in the burning desert heat with the murderous horseman of Quraysh close by.
After sanctuary in Medina, news from Mecca bought further tragedy of Muslim suffering and the possessions of the sahaba that they had left, looted and taken by the Meccans under Quraysh's instruction. Only after much suffering, oppression, persecution and then being driven out of their homes, they were then only given sanction for warfare - in retaliation only, and rules of engagement so chivalrous that the latter European armies borrowed much from them. Napoleon has much to say and commend in this regard. The meaning of the above is simple; the Muslims lived by the following, which is ever more so applicable today for the ummah and Muslims living in the west:
”Do not let them provoke you for that is what they want.”
Israel wants to (if has already) build a museum dedicated to Jewish understanding and interfaith dialogue – on a muslim cemetery site in Jerusalem as they start their architectural and construction annexation of the disputed holy city. Iraq continues to burn and unless the Americans negotiate with the insurgents, then its stalemate. Nearly 4,000+ British troops have been deployed as part of NATO’s ISAF (International Security Assistance Force). Palestinians are the people betrayed by the world. Kashmiri civilians are tortured and killed by the world's so called largest democracy, India - a terrorist ally of the US-UK-Israel triumvirate Zionist alliance. Aung San Suu Kyi is awarded a Nobel Peace Prize and garlanded by the despicable Hilary Clinton, whilst Rohingya Muslims are raped, murdered and tortured in the so called "Free Myanmar" today.
Jyllands Posten’s cartoons mocked the noble Prophet (pbuh) back then in Denmark. Geert Wilders a Dutch neo-fascist and zionist launched a no rate home movie called "fitna" mocking Islam and threatening to tear the Qur'an - a deliberate act of debased provocation. His predecessors Theo Van Gogh and Pim Fortyn did much to mock Islam - Van Gogh was murdered by a Muslim North African and Fortyn murdered by a white Dutch Animal Rights Activitst, Volker Van der Graaf who said "I did this for the Muslim people". The Eurofascists forget their days of Jew oppression and now have turned it to Muslims while being obsequious to the point of gut wrenching to the Zionist state of Israel.
One must fight every injustice with action, intellect and truth. We must reason with people in ways which are best and most gracious. We must lobby politicians and ensure behaviour like this is banned as it is not free speech it is hate speech and incitement to racism, religious hatred and crimes. Yes we live in a time so different from the sahaba; even foretold that to hold onto one’s deen would be like holding a branch of thorns or hot coals (hadith) but we must act. We must exercise patience in our anger and passions lest we do wrong and wrong our faith.
We must also not let them provoke us, for that is what they want. We face a modern day “Quraysh”….those same opponents of the Prophet (pbuh) and the early Muslims are still here with us, larger than ever before. It comes in the form of newspapers, media, literature and mistruths from warped propaganda, Governments, their invading armies and secret agents “extraordinary renditioning” and international organisations that wholesale fail (UN, NATO). as well as the sellouts who claim to be Muslim but are in name only if that, the false converts to Islam and the orientalists, revisionists, zionists and the people who are lost to reason and grace.
"And remove the rage of their hearts; and Allah turns (mercifully) to whom He pleases, and Allah is Knowing, Wise.” – Qur’an 9:15